Take A Bullet For You
by Red Bess Rackham
Summary: The assassin was here to take down the Intersect. Someone got shot - but it wasn't Chuck. AU. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer**: Own nothing.

**A/n**: Ok, this popped into my head while I was doing dishes (of all things) and continued to poke me until it was written down. I'm not entirely sure what this is – my muse put it in my head with no explanation or extra detail. I've thought about it for a day or two now and nothing extra has come to me, so this is it. Apologies. Hope you like it anyways. :)

* * *

They were always there to protect him, always at his side ready to keep him from harm. He was staring down the barrel of a gun thinking this, knowing this. They always came before anything really bad ever happened. He was scared, he was terrified, and yet he knew they would come. They always came just in time.

_But not this time._

* * *

The door swung open and it was an unreal moment. His hands were up, fear and adrenaline coursing through him as he stared into the face of the cold blooded assassin. And then he turned his head at the sound of the door, and he saw his best friend and he froze, his thoughts stopping, his breath stopping, his heart stopping.

"Chuck?"

He took a breath to tell him to run, to explain what his friend was seeing, something – anything.

The assassin had no time for games, no time for distractions. It was clear the only reason the assassin had hadn't pulled the trigger a moment before nor shot the friend who opened the door was that the assassin had somehow been caught off guard. But no longer. The assassin was here to take down the Intersect and take down the Intersect the assassin would.

The shot rang out and before he could understand what was happening, his best friend who opened the door was yelling. He was falling to the ground and he saw blood, felt pain…

_But he wasn't the one who'd been shot._

The assassin fled as the handlers arrived and one chased after him.

* * *

"Morgan…? What - "

Morgan smiled a sad, lop-sided smile. "It's ok, man. He missed you."

The blood was pooling on the floor around him and Chuck's heart stopped again as he realized where the blood was coming from. "No, no… you didn't…"

"It's ok, man. It's ok…"

"No, God, Morgan, it's not…" he swallowed the panic and emotion clashing through him and found enough clarity to shout for help.

Sarah was finally at his side.

"He… he got…" Chuck tried to say and tried harder to wake up from the nightmare before his eyes. His absolute worst nightmare, equal with the one where Ellie was the one he lost instead. Sarah held his hand tight in wordless support and gave him a nod of understanding.

Chuck's other hand was pressed tight over the redness blooming from his best friend's chest. "Hold on… please hold on… just hold on…"

_But... this can't be happening._

He didn't realize for several minutes that his friend had already gone.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Chuck looked up, guilty and surprised. So he knew.

"I… I wanted to." Chuck said lamely. "Every day I wanted to. You're my best friend. I hated lying to you."

"You could've told me. No matter what they said to you about keeping it a secret or doing it alone. You know, so you don't hurt anyone."

"I…" Chuck didn't have a reply. He didn't need one.

"You're Frodo, I'm Sam." The best friend continued. "You're Batman, I'm Robin. Team, duo, best friends. I'd never have let you down. Never." That lop-sided smile again. "Well, ok, not intentionally."

"I know." Chuck's eyes filled with tears. He swallowed hard. "Why'd you do it?"

"Think I was going to let that ugly psycho take you down? Not a chance. You're out there saving the world, buddy. I'm… well, working at the Buy More."

"You were going to be a chef, and you had Anna. That's not nothing."

He shrugged modestly. "You're making the world safer one mission at a time. And you have Sarah." An emotional pause. "Besides, I always said I'd take a bullet for you if it came down to it."

Chuck buried his wet eyes in his shaking palms. "I didn't know you meant it." he whispered.

_But I didn't know it would ever come to this... I didn't know._

That grin. "I did."

There was a long silence before Chuck found his voice was usable again. "Miss you, buddy."

* * *

**A/n**: I think the last scene was… either Chuck imagining Morgan afterwards or maybe it's a dream. I tried asking my muse but she was unhelpful. Also, there will be no more to this – it's just an AU oneshot. Thanks for reading and reviews are so very loved! :D


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